Make Waves
by NewCali
Summary: Emily and Paige are just friends right? And friends can look at eachother like that right? And friends can flirt with eachother right? And friends can kiss eachother right? looks like being "friends" was harder than Emily thought it would be.
1. But Coach!

The Rosewood Lady Shark's after school swim practice was in its final stretch. The girls were hustling to finish up their last laps to get to the locker room and change so they could enjoy their weekend all the sooner. One shark stood out above all the rest only this time it wasn't Emily.

"Way to go Paige. With times like that you just might make anchor at the next meet." The coach praised the redhead who only acknowledged her with a half hearted smile.

She hadn't been trying to out swim her previous records or impress the coach. She had only been trying to leave behind the anxiety she felt whenever Emily Fields walked in the room. She looked to see Emily push herself out of the water and immediately began to feel her face grow hot. Yeah… it didn't work. With a shake of her head she turned and walked to the locker room.

After showering and changing her clothes, Paige headed back to her locker only to lock eyes with Emily.

"Hey." Emily's tone was friendly. "Nice job out there. You made me look like a guppy." Emily lets out a sigh when she only received a slight nod in response. "C'mon Paige, don't shut me out."

Paige mentally cursed and looked at Emily with a mixture of sorrow and frustration. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by their coach.

"Ok ladies! I'm passing out the permission slip for our trip to the lakes next Saturday. Have them signed and brought back to me by next Thursday at the latest!" Paige took a sheet and quickly scanned it before placing it in her purse. "Oh and Emily, we need to talk. Your grades? You have a D in math and your English grade is dropping too. What's going on?"

"Nothing. I've just been having trouble understanding the material. I'll get it up." There was something in Emily's voice that sounded like there was more to the story than just having problems with concentration. It went unnoticed by the coach but not by Paige.

"Damn right you will. You're one of our best swimmers and we can't afford to lose you in the middle of the season. Paige!" Coach called after the redhead who had tried to discreetly excuse her presence without being noticed.

"Yeah coach?" Paige asked walking back over to the two.

"Since you two are our lead swimmers, I think it'd be a great idea for you two to take the lead and show the rest of the girls what teamwork really is." Emily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion; Paige, in worry.

"You're going to be Emily's tutor for the next few weeks until she brings her grades up." Paige's mouth fell open in protest.

"But Coach!" Paige started but fell silent when Emily spoke up.

"Coach, that's really not necessary."

"If you want to stay on this team it is. Now no more buts! It's about time you two learn to get along. We could all benefit from warmer waters." With that, the coach walked away, leaving the two swimmers in stunned silence.


	2. Study Date?

**Hello all! This is NewCali **** here is the second chapter of my story. I don't think it's going to go in the direction most of you thought it would but I think you will like it regardless. At least I hope you will. but omg! Last nights episode was so amazing right? The jealousy, the looks, the kiss. Ugh! All so perfect. I must say that shay and Lindsey did excellent jobs. Probably the best scene pretty little liars had given us. Lindsey is just an amazing actress and shay feeds off of her so well. These two are golden. Well anyway enjoy the chapter.**

The day was beautiful. The sun was bright, kids were playing and birds were chirping. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. That is if you weren't Paige McCullers who was currently peddling her way up the Fields' driveway. She pulled out her kick stand and let out a sigh. 'Just so you know God, your sense of humor is shit.' Paige thought as she rang the door bell. She didn't have to wait long before the beautiful Emily Fields opened her door.

"Hey." Emily greeted softly. The redhead gave her a stiff nod.

"Hey." Paige said, trying not to look into Emily's eyes.

"Come on in." Emily moved to allow Paige entrance. "Do you want something to drink or-"

"I'd rather just get this over with." Paige interrupted.

Their attraction for each other gave the room an intense atmosphere that most people would consider to be very much uncomfortable. But now that they had to push their feelings aside, well… a knife couldn't cut the tension.

"ok." The brunette agreed in an almost surrendering tone. She didn't want to fight or make Paige feel uncomfortable. She did after all, still care for the girl. "My room is upstairs" she led Paige up the stairs and into her bedroom. Emily took a seat on her bed where her books lay while Paige sat in the window seat. "Paige, come on. Don't be like this. You can sit on the bed."

"No Emily." Paige started seriously. "I really can't. I don't think you realize just how much of an effort I am making to keep this distance. I can't be near you and think at the same time. So if we're going to do this then this is how it has to be." She said while looking Emily in the eyes. Emily nodded.

"Ok. But just know that you're not the only one making an effort." Paige blushed when she saw the sincerity in Emily's eyes.

"Uh um m-maybe we should uh start with math. You know, get the hardest subject out of the way." Emily tried to hide the smirk on her face. Seeing Paige trip over her words like that was completely adorable.

By the time the lesson was half way through Paige had managed to make her way onto the bed and next to Emily. Trying to teach at a distance turned out to be more difficult than she had thought.

"So now you just cross cancel to simplify and you're done." The young instructor said with a smile. Somehow the two had found a way to break the tension with some friendly playful banter.

"wow." Emily said in complete awe. "You make it look so easy." She praised as she closed her books and leant back on the bed. "I guess it comes as no surprise that Paige McCullers is a math wiz." Emily smiled at her joke. Paige let out a laugh.

"Well it's not difficult when it's the only thing you're allowed to do." Emily's smile turned into a sympathetic look. She knew Paige had meant it as just a joke but she could tell that to a very high degree that it was true.

"Your parents are really strict aren't they?" Emily asked Paige, who now had her back turned her to. She let out an airy laugh.

"That's a very mild way of putting it." Emily sat up.

"Are they the reason you won't come out?" Paige took in a nervous breath. Emily noticed the girl's uneasiness and moved to sit next to her. "Hey it's ok. You can talk to me about this." Paige looked at Emily and sighed.

"They've always been this way. Putting academics and social status before anything so that's how I grew up. I was always the girl in the front row making the grades but not friends. After all, success doesn't depend on friendship. We've always upheld this image of the great American family. They made it clear a long time ago that I was more of a status symbol than a daughter. So I can't just come out. I can't just expect them to have the patience and understanding that your family has. I hate it. I lost the girl I want to be with because I'm too scared to be myself and I hate it." her voice broke and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Emily was torn. She wanted so badly to take the girl in her arms and kiss her but knew she couldn't. it would only end up making things more difficult for both the girls.

"Paige, you didn't lose me." Paige scoffed.

"Yeah well last time I checked, being put in the friend zone wasn't code for I like you."

"I'm still going to be here for you. You don't have to do this alone. Let me help you." Emily pleaded.

"How?" Paige asked.

"You don't have to hide when you're around me. And maybe we can slowly introduce the real you to some people we can trust. The more you get used to it the easier it will be to come out."

"Emily, my family would never understand. I don't have the support you do." Paige looked down with a heavy heart. Emily laid her hand gently on Paige's shoulder.

"hey." She said soft yet sternly, trying to convey a sense of assurance. Paige looked up with tears rolling down her cheeks. Emily reached out and wiped away a tear with her thumb, allowing her hand to remain on the swimmer's cheek as she spoke. "You do now." Paige closed her eyes and began to cry into Emily's shoulder.

She wasn't crying because of her parents or the fear of coming out. She was crying because she was happy. She was crying because maybe, for the first time in her life, she really didn't have to do it all on her own.

**Reviews por favor **


	3. Who Knew?

Emily let out a yawn as she pulled her beautiful Toyota into the school's parking lot. She had been back on the swim team for a few months now but still could not get used to waking up at such an ungodly hour for practice.

She took her time walking to the girl's locker room, trying to remove whatever sleep she had left in her eyes.

"Morning Fields." Paige greeted as she opened her locker to put away her swim bag. "Ready to get your ass kicked?" she asked with a playful smirk. Emily managed a chuckle.

"I'm still waking up. I can't even imagine getting my ass wet." Not realizing what she had said in her state, Emily was not prepared for Paige's response.

"Well if you ever need help with that, let me know." The red head said in a low voice, leaning in close enough so that her hot breath could be felt on Emily's cheek. The brunette turned a deep red, causing Paige to let out a laugh.

"You know, that's a good color on you. But uh I'd cool off before the coach gets here if I were you." Emily looked on absolutely flustered as her teammate sauntered off to the pool. She smiled to herself. 'Paige was being playful. That's good… and cute.' she thought as she made her own way to the pool.

Emily joined the sea of students now flooding the hallways and making their way to the cafeteria. She turned to make a quick stop at her locker.

After putting her books away she checked her reflection locker mirror out of habit. Once mentally confirming that she looked as good as she felt which was unbelievable at the moment, she moved to close her locker but stopped when a figure in her mirror caught her attention. She turned around to give a goofy smile to Paige who smiled back as she walked off.

"Hey Em." She turned to see her three best friends standing behind her.

"Oh! Hey guys." She said a little startled. Spencer's eyes narrowed in a questioning look.

"Were you just staring at Paige McCullers?" Emily's eyes widened a bit.

"What? No!" Spencer smirked in a way that let Emily know she knew she was lying.

"Mhmm." Spencer hummed simply. The other two gave her accusing looks.

"Ok can we talk about this later please? It's not something I can discuss here."

"Ok. We're all meeting at my house tonight. Be prepared to spill." Spencer pointed.

"Promise," Said Emily. The four then made their way to the caff, each wondering what they were going to here later that night.

Spencer closed the door to her room and walked over to sit at her desk while the other three sat on the bed. Emily sat nervously with her legs crossed under the gazes of her friends.

"So?" Hannah asked, breaking the silence. "What's the deal with you and your fellow lady shark?" Emily let out a sigh and finally told them the whole story. Their eyes went wide at hearing Paige's surprise lip lock with Emily in her car, which quickly turned into squeals of excitement when they heard about them singing karaoke. By the time she finished telling them all the details; the girls had slack jaws and wide eyes.

"wow." Aria started. "Who knew that Paige was actually-?"

"Normal?" Spencer jumped in but looked down when she saw the look Emily gave her. "Sorry."

"I was going to say fun. I think that's the best first date story I've ever heard Em." Aria gave Emily a sincere smile.

"yeah." Hannah agreed. "I mean she turns out to be funny, outgoing, sweet and romantic? Who gets that lucky?" Hannah looked up as if in a day dream. "I love it when enemies fall for each other."

"Can you really deal with being just friends?" Spencer asked, being the voice of reason once more. Emily shrugged her shoulders.

"I have to. She has to figure herself out before anything else can happen."


	4. Shark Bait

**Hey all! NewCali here. So, anyone else pissed off about this week's episode? I really can't believe how insensitive Emily is being about Paige and her coming out. And the whole samara getting her flirt on and Emily yelling at my future wife really just made me not want to continue this story anymore but after all the support I've gotten from you all and because of my hopeless romantic side that still has hope for a future for Paily, I will continue. oh and I'm introducing a new character. I'm pretty much basing her off me so don't rain down the hate on her too much please lol. Thank you all for your lovely reviews and favorites etc… they really encourage me to keep going. I love you all and here you are. The next chapter in Make Waves.**

Paige's week had been going great. She was spending time with Emily in and out of school and she was loving every minute of it. She was indeed flying high on cloud nine. That is until reality had to come into play and rain shit all over her parade… of course.

She had woken up with a smile on her face and spring in her step. When she got to school she put her things in her first period class and went in search of one beautiful Miss Fields. She found her engrossed in something by her locker and quietly snuck up behind her. Laughing at the look on Emily's face when she jumped, Paige had to lean against the lockers for support. The two gave each other sweet smiles and made small talk about each other's night which was pointless because they had been texting each other for what would have appeared to be non-stop all night.

The blissful moment ended however when Paige subtly removed Emily's hand from her arm when she noticed people in the hall looking at the two. It was safe to say that Emily's reaction was less than friendly as she stormed off with and angry expression on her face.

So here Paige is, starring at her reflection in the empty girl's restroom and sighing for what would be the thousandth time in the last hour. She gave herself a disapproving head shake and walked out of the restroom. She moved to turn down the hall and to her class when something on the bulletin board caught her eye. She took a nervous glance to make sure the hallway was vacant save her own presence. Once she was sure, she approached the board slowly.

Her eyes had been greedily scanning the poster before her that she failed to hear the footsteps of another student roaming the halls.

"Hi." Paige jumped in a mixture of surprise and fear as the newcomer made herself known.

"Whoa sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." Paige looked at the girl before her and unless you looked closely it would be hard for you to actually tell that it was a girl because of her boyish style. She was maybe an inch or two shorter than Paige with tan skin, dark brown almond shaped eyes, long black curly hair that was pulled into a ponytail save her bangs that fell just above her eyes. Eyes that had witnessed what had captured Paige's attention. Her defenses went up immediately.

"You didn't. I just -"

"Had a major spazz attack for fun?" the masculine brunette interrupted. Paige gave the girl a look and only received a hearty laugh in return, angering the swimmer further. "So are you interested in the GSA club?"

"What? No! I was just -"

"Staring at all the attractive colors on the poster?" The girl received another scowl.

"You know, answering for me isn't cute or do you simply take pleasure in being rude?" The redhead was getting feisty. After the morning she'd had, she didn't need anymore identity related issues to top off her shitty mood.

"Well I'd have to say that it's about as pleasurable as your company right about now." Paige saw the annoyed and pained expression in the girls face and felt bad. She was only trying to be friendly after all.

"Look I wasn't trying to offend you or assume anything to make you get all offensive." She opened her mouth to continue speak but thought otherwise and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Paige spoke out after the brunette. "I'm sorry." She tried to find an excuse that wouldn't necessarily involve given her a play by play on the recent events in her life. "I just had a really bad morning." …that worked. The brunette gave her an understanding nod.

"You know you really should check it out." The boyishly attractive brunette said referring to the poster that had captured Paige's attention. "It's really a cool place to just hang out even if you're not repping the rainbow." She gave Paige a cute smile and turned to walk away but stopped once more.

"Oh and uh I don't know if it will mean anything to you but we have cookies. I know it sounds weird but that little fact is what sealed the deal for me." Paige let out a small laugh as the bell rang. "See ya shark bait."

Paige watched her as she made her way through the now crowded hallways. Paige gave one final glance at the poster and walked off to her next class with a hopeful smile on her face.

**Did you like it? tell me how u like my new character **** reviews make me ever so happy. till next update my pretty little liars.**


	5. Bieber and Bikinis

**And she's back! I know I know. It's been forever since I updated but I finally did so please don't hate me. I had a bad case of couch potato and writer's block. But here is the next chappy. And a HUGE thanks to all of you who reviewed. They truly encourage me and warm my heart. Although some of the Paige haters left some hurtful comments on my one shot it is fine. Everyone is allowed their opinion. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and as always please review.**

Paige looked on with sad eyes as Emily wrapped a towel around herself and walked to the locker room, not even sparring a glance in the redhead's direction. She knew that she had made her mad but she didn't realize it had irked her this much. She skulked to the showers to try and rid her body of the bleach that she had been swimming in only a few minutes ago.

She was the last to leave the showers, having taken the time to wash her body twice. She wrapped a towel around herself and headed to her locker.

"Hey." She greeted Emily softly, testing the waters.

"Hey." Emily responded in a short tone. Paige took a deep breath and continued.

"Look Emily, I'm sorry about this morning. I-"

"See that's the thing Paige." Emily interrupted, turning to fully face Paige. "You shouldn't have to be sorry. You shouldn't have to apologize for being who you are. You really need to stop worrying about what other people think. I mean this is you life for Christ's sake. When was the last time you did something just because you wanted to?"

Paige gave a small smile before responding. "About two weeks ago." She said referring to their "rustic" and "remote" date. Emily rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile that crept up on her lips.

"Paige." The brunette unsuccessfully said in a reprimanding tone. Paige looked down with a smile on her face.

"sorry." She looked back up when Emily didn't respond. "Look, I know that you're right. But you have to realize that this is going to take some time for me. I can't come to terms with this just because you want me to. I need to do this on my own time." Emily nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry I've been so pushy. I just know that its like to be on the other side of that door and it was never easy. It gets so hard to try and pretend that you don't feel the way you do. I know it's hard and almost terrifying to even think of coming out but you'll get." Paige gave Emily an insecure smile.

"Will you be there for me?" Emily smiled reassuringly and grabbed her friend's hand.

"Every step of the way."

Emily quickly put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to hold in the laughter that had burst from her just seconds earlier. Paige had made a comment about Justin Bieber and his plot to turn all the teenyboppers on by stealing the latest ideas in lesbian fashion. She playfully hit Paige's arm.

"Don't laugh at me!" Paige pleaded causing Emily to laugh harder but soon calmed down when the coach told the two to quiet down.

"I don't think I'll see Justin Bieber rocking a crop top anytime soon." Emily joked.

"That's feminine fashion. He's going for the stud look."

"Stud?"

"Yeah you know, stud, butch; the more masculine ones of our culture." Emily just gave Paige a look.

"What! It's true! I read it on ." Paige tried to silence Emily's laughter but was unsuccessful when the coach gave them a final warning.

The two swimmers remained silent on the rest of the trip to the lakes, something they both had been looking forward to for the past week. They sat side by side, an ear bud in each ear, listening to Paige's iPod.

After their conversation in the locker room, things seemed to flow more freely between the girls. There was no pressure on either side. They could enjoy on another's company for no other reason than the sheer fact that they wanted to. No expectations, just plain ol' friends. At least that's what they were telling themselves.

"I'll race you down to the water. Give me something else to kick your ass at." Paige taunted playfully while Emily laid out her towel.

"Mmm tempting but I'm gunna have to pass. I think I'll just sun bathe for a bit." Emily made her point by pulling out her sun tan lotion from her bag. Paige gave her an incredulous look.

"Are you kidding me? You sat on a bus for two hours to lie on poorly stitched fabric?"

"Hey it's difficult to sun bathe in rosewood. Do you know how many people like to stare?" Paige bit back a comment.

"Sounds like a cop out to me Fields. But whatever. You stay here and get skin cancer while I go swim."

"Ooooooo swimming with all the tiny organisms that get into all my nooks and crannies sounds SO much better. Paige threw her head back in laughter and headed towards the water after agreeing to come back to make sure her fellow lady shark didn't fall asleep."

The second Emily relaxed into her towel her thought went wild.

_Paige is in a bikini._

_ What does that matter? She's just a friend._

_ Well yeah but-_

_ But what?_

_ Friends can admire their friends in a bikini!_

_ …no…no they can't._

_ *mental sigh* how am I supposed to be just friends with her?_

_ You move on._

_ But-_

_ She can't be what you need right now. You're obviously not willing to wait. You I'm right._

_ Shut up!_

_ You just told yourself to shut up._

_ Shut up!_

_ We just went over this._

_ Oh my god. Will you just leave me alone!_

_ Emily…_

_ What?_

_ Emily?_

_ What?_

"Emily!" the girl's eyes snapped open. Emily looked up to see a wet Paige with her hair slicked back and the sun shinning on her toned body.

"You fell asleep." Paige informed the girl as she sat down next to Emily.

"Thank you Sherlock." Paige visibly winced at the brunette's annoyed tone.

"Well I think that's the last time I ever wake you up." Paige made an attempt to get up but was stopped by Emily's plea to do otherwise.

"I'm sorry. I was just a little startled." Paige gave her a forgiving smile but decided to tease the girl anyway.

"I don't know. You kind of really hurt my feelings. I think you just might have to make it up to me." She said with a wickedly innocent smile. Emily let out a laugh and looked around then looked back holding up a bottle of sun tan lotion.

"Get my back?" she asked sweetly.

"You think you can use my newly discovered sexuality to bribe me with rubbing your body with lotion so that I will forgive you?" Emily just kept starring, not knowing what to say. "Well your right." Emily laughed as Paige took the bottle.

"You're so kind." Emily joked. Paige shrugged nonchalantly while squirting the lotion into her hands.

"It's what Jesus would have done." they both laughed but soon quieted down the second Paige's hands came into contact with Emily's bare shoulders. The innocent contact was so charged and full of energy that all Emily could do was close her eyes and enjoy the moment; maybe even a little more than she was supposed to.

"You know you're really tight." Paige's voice brought Emily back down to earth.

"Huh?" she asked confused.

"You're shoulders. They're really tight." Paige's voice became notably more nervous as she continued. "I could uh work the knots out for you if you'd like." Emily was silent for a few seconds before responding.

"Uh sure. That'd be great." Paige nodded and slowly allowed her hands to massage Emily's shoulders. Emily couldn't help but let out a moan. This definitely must not have been the first time Paige had given a massage. She seemed to know exactly how to be firm but not rough and knew exactly how to work her muscles.

"Is that ok?" Paige asked. Emily didn't trust herself with words so she merely hummed her approval.

Paige swallowed roughly and tried to keep her breathing calm. She loved the effect she was having on Emily but also felt guilty for flirting with her after their discussion.

She didn't want to be friends. She didn't want to hide or pretend. It was becoming too time consuming and it left her exhausted. But her fear was still too strong for her to act on her wants. Why couldn't she just-

"Ah!" Paige let out a yell as a volley ball hit her shoulder. Emily turned in surprise.

"Are you ok?" she asked with concern. Before Paige could answer, a blonde girl about their age came trouncing over.

"I am so sorry! Are you alright?" the blonde asked, looking at Paige.

"Uh yeah. I'm fine." Paige responded a little irritated. Emily handed the girl her ball back.

"I really am sorry." She said taking the ball from Emily.

"Don't worry about it. It was an accident." Emily smiled at the girl. Paige immediately felt a pang of jealousy in her chest when the girl smiled back at her. But it wasn't the smile that bugged her; it was the look in her eyes. It was the same way she looked at Emily.

"Would you two like to join us. We could use the extra players." She offered politely. Emily smiled and turned to Paige.

"What do you say Paige? Wanna get your ass kicked?" Emily smirked at Paige and stood up.

"It's so cute how you think you can actually win." Paige teased, standing along side Emily. "We're in."

"Great." The blonde smiled.

"I'm Emily by the way and this is Paige." Emily extended her hand.

"Samara."


	6. Service and Slumber

**(slowly comes out from behind corner) hi everyone. Ok so I know this is all super late but one thing that you gotta understand about me is that I'm lazy. Very very lazy. In fact I almost gave up on this but my love for paily is too great. Besides has anyone else been reading you're hand in mine? Damn great story or what? The best by far and the writing is incredible. Anyways thank you to everyone who has been commenting. I know this chapter is short but I promise there will be more. It may take a while but there will be more. With that said, please enjoy. **

Paige stood at the service line smiling at Emily listening intently to Samara and the instructions she was giving her team. She would never tell her this, but she always found Emily's game face to be adorable.

"So you two swim for Roswell High?" Paige turned to face one of her new teammates. His name was Jason. He was tall and very well defined with short brown hair and blue eyes. All the things any girl would be looking for, if they weren't Paige.

"Yup. Two years now." She said not wanting to be rude.

"wow." Said Jason, sounding overly impressed. "You must be good. I should come watch you some time. " he finished with a smile. Paige had to fight not to role her eyes as she opened her mouth for something to say.

"Ok we're ready!" Samara yelled from across the net. "Your serve." She said to Paige's team. Jason tossed her the ball and smirked.

"Good luck red." Paige sent him a sarcastic smile. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stretched her arm out in front of her and tossed the ball into the air following it up with a powerful serve. The game was on.

It was half past five when the coach finally gathered up the girls. Emily walked closely next to Paige back to their spot to gather up their things but not before saying goodbye to their new friends. While Emily had spent her time being chatted up by Samara, Paige found that Jason wasn't half bad and was actually a pretty funny guy. They all exchanged numbers with the promise to hang out again soon.

Paige plopped into her seat, allowing her exhaustion to work its way through her body. She closed her eyes in content as she felt Emily's weight occupy the space next to her.

"I am so tirrrreeed." Emily wined in a low drawl, adjusting her body so that she could comfortably rest her head on Paige's shoulder. Paige let out a laugh.

"Tell me about it. I could so go for a hot bath." She let her head fall back, letting her mind imagine all the wonders warm water could do to her tired body. It was Emily's turn to laugh.

"Haven't you had enough water for one day?"

"I never get tired of being in the water. Besides I was only in it for like half an hour. You however missy," Paige said accusingly, facing Emily, "didn't even tread the shore. Too busy being chatted up by that pretty blooooonde." Paige said poking Emily's side causing her to squirm in a pathetic attempt to ward off Paige's fingers. Emily sat up straight, pushing her hair behind her ears, looking a bit flustered.

"I was not being chatted up." She stated defensively. "She was being friendly. That's what you do when you meet someone new. You talk."

"Uhuh." Paige replied with a tone that said 'yeah. Right.'

Emily gave her a playful push as if to say I can't 'believe you don't believe me.' "Come on." Emily said trying to reason with Paige. "It's not like she liked me or anything." Paige gave her an incredulous look.

"Really? Emily, the girl was practically drooling over you." Emily shook her head.

"No way." She said receiving another look from Paige.

"Oh Emily!" Paige mocked in an overly high pitched voice. "You're doing such a great job! Oh you're a natural. Come here so I can kiss your ass some more." This received another push from Emily but they were both falling onto each other from laughter.

The two girls fell in to a comfortable silence after a few minutes, each letting their fatigue show as they relaxed into one another almost as if it came naturally to them to be so innocently intimate without giving it a second thought. Paige had shifted so that she could comfortably lay her head on Emily's shoulder. Emily shivered at the sensation of Paige's body pressed to her. She took in a deep breath only to find her nose being filled with Paige's scent. She looked down at Paige and smiled brushing a few strands of red hair behind her ear. She reached into her bag and pulled out the blanket she had packed and unfolded it to cover the both of them. She closed her eyes contently as she rested her head on top of Paige's and drifted off to sleep thinking that she never knew of any bed to make her as relaxed and calm as she was in that moment. They slept like that the rest of the ride home.


	7. A Quiet Confidence

Monday morning found the two lady sharks in the school pool for morning practice. After a few warm up laps the coach had all of the ladies test for time. There was a meet in two weeks and she wanted to track the progress more closely. Emily and Paige were in the last group to go. Before stepping onto the platform Emily turned to Paige.

"Good luck." She said good heartedly. Paige smirked.

"Since when have I ever needed luck Fields?" she asked rhetorically.

"Since you found out how easy I make it look to kick your ass." Emily replied back in a similar fashion. She looked away pleased with Paige's non-verbal response, only a gaping mouth. She clearly did not expect that from her. She turned back to Paige as they stepped onto their platforms. She caught Paige's eye and gave her a wink causing the redhead to smile.

"Get ready girls!" the coach yelled out, bringing the girls into their competitive state. Their gazes deepened as they focused on the water before them. At a glance, the two may have appeared to be polar opposites but in that moment they were equals. Their will and determination radiated off of them so much that it was almost suffocating. They were perfect for each other as rivals and friends.

"Go!" with that they leaped off in one smooth motion like they had done countless times before.

"come on. Say it." Emily said to Paige as they walked through the halls. Emily had a huge grin on her face while Paige was border lining death glares.

"Drop it Fields." Paige said in a tone that suggested a painful alternative if the brunette chose otherwise.

"Ok. I'll say it for you." Emily said, standing at full height and taking in a deep breath. Paige's eyes widened in panic as she rushed to cover Emily's mouth but was too late.

"Paige sleeps in the nude!" Paige groaned, refusing to turn around, already feeling her peers burning holes into her back. Slowly she glanced over her shoulder laughing awkwardly to the crowd before turning to look at Emily who was looking around innocently and rocking on the balls of her feet.

"Oh-hohoho. You are so gunna get it." Paige threatened, reaching for the swimmer. Emily let out a yell before running away and laughing as the bell rang.

The four amigos sat at their usuall table, eating around the chunk of mystery meat on their trays.

"oh come on Em." Hanna pleaded. "I feel like we haven't seen you in days."

"That's because we haven't seen her in days." Spencer continued.

"Aren't you guys being a little over dramatic?" Aria defended. "We see her everyday at school."

"yeah at school." Spencer half agreed. "That's not the same as actually hanging out, which is why you need to come to Hanna's sleepover." Spencer tried reasoning. Emily sent her a guilty look.

"I'm sorry but I already made plans for that night." Spencer just rolled her eyes in response.

"Come on Emily. It's only one night and we really do miss you." Aria offered. Emily looked between the girls and before she could reply Hanna piped in.

"What else are you doing that night anyway?" Emily's gaze went down to her plate.

"I uh I made plans with Paige." The girls looked at her questioningly so Emily continued. "I sort of embarrassed her earlier today so I promised to take her to the Harry Potter movie to make up for it."

"How did you embarrass her?" Spencer said with a fascinated smile that clearly said she was enthralled by Emily's unnatural display of characteristics. Emily blushed before answering.

"I may have mentioned that she sleeps in the nude to a hallway full of students." Hanna and Aria's mouth fell open while Spencer held a curious gaze.

"How do you know?" Spencer teased, smirking at the blush on her friends face.

"Ok fine I'll go. Just stop with the twenty questions." Emily pleaded as she turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes immediately falling on the redhead a few tables over.

The bell had rung and once again the students flooded the halls and headed towards their respective classes. Paige shut her locker and turned to see Emily standing in front of her with a guilty smile.

"Ahh." Paige said knowingly. "Come for more groveling I see. Well the bell just rang so I can spare a few minutes. You may begin." She said using her hand to gesture for Emily to start.

"Actually Paige I was hoping to get a reprieve." She said stepping a little closer. "My friends want to get together Friday night and they practically begged me to go. So I'm gunna have to reschedule our plans. Is that ok?" she asked biting her lip. Her worry began to grow because Paige kept a straight face throughout her entire explanation.

"I don't think you've grasped the concept of groveling very well have you?" Paige said rhetorically. Emily's face turned apologetic and she opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Paige silenced her with a laugh.

"Em, it's ok. Don't worry about it. You can pay me back later." She said reassuringly. Emily wore a smile that made Paige weak at the knees.

"Thank you Paige. I promise to make it up to you." The brunette said pulling Paige into a hug. A smirk made its way to Paige's face as she held Emily tight.

"Well you know, you're not doing too bad of a job right now." Emily gasped and pulled away swatting Paige on the shoulder.

"I can't believe you just said that!" Emily said. The two laughed as the final warning bell rang. They said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways.

Paige turned the corner and saw an all too familiar face at the poster board. CJ glanced at the passing figure and gave Paige a soft smile.

"Shark bait. We meet again." She said with a pleasant tone even though Paige could see that the girl wasn't looking too well. she had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes and she looked exhausted.

"well don't you look like a million bucks." Paige said with a smile. CJ chuckled.

"All those high end cosmetics do wonders for my skin." Paige laughed. Her eyes grew wide when CJ removed her hat to run a hand through her now very short hair.

"What did you do to your hair?" she asked removing the cap herself. "you lose a bet or something?" CJ gave her a look before snatching her hat back.

"Oh yeah that was original." She said putting her hat back on. "I donated it to a cancer patient." Paige was stunned for a minute. She didn't know too many people in her life that were kind enough to do something so selfless. She looked at the girl with admiration.

"Wow. Well that was nice of you." CJ only shrugged.

"It was the least I could do." She said softly turning back to finish putting up her poster. Paige glanced over her shoulder in curiosity.

"The Day of Silence." She read out loud. "What's that all about?" Paige asked.

"It's a day where people get together and show their support against intolerance."

"By not talking?" Paige said with a hint of sarcasm. CJ chuckled and shook her head.

"Well sort of. The people who participate in the Day of Silence aren't allowed to communicate to anyone by any means the entire day. It's to show how people who are bullied against can't really speak for themselves. We shed light on the intolerance by speaking for people who can't speak for themselves without really speaking. It helps everyone from all different walks of life. Different races, social statuses, genders, sexuality." She turned to Face Paige. "It's pretty effective and the more people who participate the bigger the statement will be. Interested?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

CJ noticed the hesitation in Paige so she continued. "You don't actually have to be related to any particular issue. Participating doesn't condemn you to any type of lifestyle. It just shows that you support something bigger than yourself." She said with a smile. Paige nodded her head in understanding.

"Think about it." CJ said. "We're having an informative meeting on Friday after school. You should stop by. We still have cookies." She said before turning and walking away.

Paige watched CJ until she turned the corner and was out of sight. She had to admit that CJ had an attractive charm about her. Her selflessness and quiet confidence were very appealing. She took one last look at the poster before making her own way to class with a smile on her face.


End file.
